Garment stretcher



Patented Dec. 4, 1923.

UNITED s'rrss v 1,476,555 PATENT OFFIC PAUL J. TIMBERLAKE, or. JACKSON, MICHIGAN.

, GARMENT s'rnnToHER.

Ajipli cationfiled January 8, 1923. Serial' lye 6 1L484.

To all'whom it may concern. 7 7

Be it known that I, PAUL J.' TIMBERLAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing .at Jackson, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Garment Stretcher's, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to foldable frames over which garments such as infants shirts may be drawn after being laundered and on which they remain in stretched cond1tio.-1 while drying. In Patent 877,226 issued to me January 21, 1908 is shown a garment stretcher having many features in common with the one herein to be described as embodying my present invention, which invention has for its object to improve garment stretchers in order to simplify them, reduce the cost of manufacture, and also reduce the danger of the enamel, with which the wires of which the frame parts are formed are coated, from beingchipped or marred in the assembly of the parts and their subsequent manipulation as the article is used.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a garment stretcher embodying my present invention; and Figs. 2 and 3 show frames, in elevation, embodying different forms of the invention. Referring to such drawings 2 indicates the central frame, this being the part over which the body of the garment is stretched. This frame part comprises side bars 8, 3 and a top bar 4, the latter being preferably formed of the inturned ends of the wire of which the frame is formed, which are united as by twisting, one of the wires being longer than the other and formed into a suspending hook 5. Each side bar 3 is formed near its upper end with eyes or loops 6, 6, spaced apart at such distance as to suit the size of the lateral or sleeve frames 9, 9 which are pivotally connected with the central frame 2.

In each pair of loops 6 is supported a small tube 7, formed preferably of metal and with its ends expanded, as at 8, to properly hold it in place in loops 6, as repre sented in the drawing. The sleeve frames 9 are each formed of a single piece of metal bent into open or loop form with inturned ends 10 which are inserted into the hollow cylinders 7, in which they are free to turn. The resiliency of the wire of which the frames 9 are formed will be suflicient to hold the ends 10 of the sleeve frames in place.-

.The sleeve frames'may befturned t i as indicated in dotted lines the drawing, folding one behind' and the other in'front of the central frame 2. lVhen' thus folded be conveniently packed or "storedf;

in u'sethe' sleeve frames are'opened outjas represented in full lines in the drawing It will be understood that the wires constituting the several frames of the article are enameled before they are assembled into the complete article. If there should be any ma-rring of the enamel during the assembly of the parts this almost invariably occurs on the inturned ends of the sleeve frames 9, and as they are confined within the cylinders 7 it is not apparent.

The sleeve frames hinge freely in the tubes or cylinders7 which are of a size to permit free movement without there being undue looseness of the articulating parts.

The loops 6, 6.formed in the side bars 3 of the main frame are directly connected by portions 11 of the side bars, the length of these portions determining the distance between the loops, which loops, it will be understood, should be axially in line with each other.

The construction which I have described and which is illustrated in Fig. 1 is the one which I prefer since it makes the most attractive and substantial article. However, the frames shown in Figs. 2 and ,3 embody certain of the novel features which have been described, and are cheaper to manufacture than the article illustrated in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the inturned ends 10, 10 of the sleeve frames are supported directly in the loops 6 of the side bars of the central frame and that such ends 10 are united by a ferrule 12.

In the form of invention illustrated in Fig. 3 the inturned ends 10 of the sleeve frames are supported directly in the loops 6 but are formed with eyes or loops which are united v y A the'frame occupies but little space and may by intermediateportions of the side bars, sleeve frames of open form with inturned ends in line with each other such ends passing through the said eyes or loops in'the side bars of the central frame and freely hinging therein.

2. A garment stretcher comprising a central frame of wire and having side bars formed with eyes or loops which are united by intermediate portions of the side bars, sleeve frames of open form with inturned ends in line with each other such ends passing'through the said eyes or loops in the s ide bars of the central frame and freely hinging therein, the inturned ends of the sleeve frames entering and being surrounded by a tube. a y

3. A garment stretcher comprising a central frame having side bars, open ended hollow cylinders supported by the side bars, and sleeve frames of open form with inturned ends in line with each other, such ends being inserted into the opposite ends of the hollow cylinders whereby they have hinge connection with the central frame.

4. A garmentstretcher formed of wire and comprising a central frame having side bars each of which is shaped to form loops which are spaced apart, small hollow cylinders supported in the said loops and sleeve frames of open constructionwith inturned ends that are inserted into the opposite open ends of the cylinders and are thus hingedly united with the central frame.

' PAUL J. TIMBERLAK-E. 

